Lian Li introduces a Mini-ITX case

If you're building a Mini-ITX system, chances are cost-cutting sits pretty high on your list of priorities. However, Lian Li has announced a new case for folks who think small-form-factor systems deserve some love, too—in the form of relatively expensive aluminum enclosures with a surprising number of enthusiast-friendly features.

Lian Li's PC-Q7 has a $69 price tag without a power supply, and at 7.6" x 11" x 8.2" (193 x 280 x 208 mm), it's not really all that compact. However, the PC-Q7 is surprisingly well-endowed for a small-form-factor offering. This puppy can accommodate full-sized ATX power supplies, and it places the Mini-ITX motherboard on the left side panel to make installation easier.

The PC-Q7 also features "easy installation kits" for one 5.25" optical drive and one 3.5" hard drive (the latter of which includes anti-vibration grommets). If you'd rather keep power draw and noise levels down by using a 2.5" hard drive or solid-state drive, the PC-Q7 also lets you mount that type of drive below the motherboard. And speaking of noise levels, Lian Li has designed the enclosure with a big vent in the right panel, so it has no active cooling of its own.

Lian Li points out that you can save money by going with a full-sized power supply, optical drive, and hard drive over smaller alternatives, so the PC-Q7 may not add that much to the cost of a tiny Atom rig overall. Still, this case does cost about the same as Intel's single-core Atom mobo.